An online community for people living in and around Oak Park, Illinois.
How would you rebrand Oak Park?
A few of us on Twitter had some admittedly smart-ass, but arguably appropriate, responses to the village rebranding proposals given at the Oak Park Village Board Meeting. They were commissioned by the OP Visitor and Tourism Center, and tweeted live by our own partner-in-snark John Huston.
I'll post a few highlights below, but the main question is this: How would you brand Oak Park? What is the elusive Oak Park je ne sais qua that could only be captured by a pithy statement and the astute use of a clever font?
I'll post a few highlights below, but the main question is this: How would you brand Oak Park? What is the elusive Oak Park je ne sais qua that could only be captured by a pithy statement and the astute use of a clever font?
Views: 18
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Richardson on -
A few snippets from exchanges on Twitter:
John: Listening to a rebranding study, commissioned by the OP Visitor and Tourism center. Unsurprisingly, lots of FLW and Hemingway references...
John: They want to market OP to those with "a little bit of rebellion."
Becca: Rebels who love prairie-style architecture? Personally I think we have more to offer than FLW.
Emily: wonder what are we offering for that "little bit of rebellion"? have they done any focus groups?
Dave: Or "Oak Park: more than just FLW. For example, there's also Hemmingway." :)
John: For example: "Wave Makers - If you don’t mind spilling a little when stirring the pot, Welcome."
Me: The mixed metaphor bothers me. Even rebellious chefs don't make waves in their pots.
John: The brand theme -- "Oak Park: Step Out of Line"
Becca: But not too far out of line.
Me: Who is the market for this? Might work if were specifically targeted to riders of the el and Metra. Otherwise, meh.
Me: To Chicagoans, we're a pretty, nearby suburb, but not 'out of line'. To suburbanites, we're a less threatening, nearby city.
Dave: So how 'bout "Oak Park: non-threatening and pretty!"
John: Here's the logo the consultant is suggesting for a new tourism branding in Oak Park.
Emily: Like the art, not so much the tagline or the text treatment for it.
Tina: as the resident block rebel living in the weird modern house,no way would that branding idea&logo draw me here. awful!
Dave: Wow… ugly *and* stupid. Win-win!
The exchange wrapped up with a little compassion as Emily wondered: Is it possible that @oakpark [John Huston] is getting more feedback on the rebranding campaign than the firm who commisioned it? hope not.
So here's your chance. What have you got?
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Permalink Reply by Michelle on
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Visit Oak Park, but don't Park here!
Step out of line, but leave your car at home.
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PioneerPermalink Reply by Yasmeen on -
ugh.
"step out of line"?!?!? what's that about?
I think they should keep the historic logo that we've grown up with.
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Permalink Reply by Scott Hand on -
I guess I can believe that they think everything needs a brand nowadays... but did they explain what the specific goal of this exercise was?
I like the idea of having a good logo to use on signage and letterhead. Is there something inherently wrong or outdated with the tree one we have now?
Why does a Village need a tagline?
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Your HostPermalink Reply by Becca on -
I think they wanted to come up with a campaign that would broaden the appeal of the village. It kind of makes me think about the campaign that Berwyn has been running around Chicago. They talk about the restaurants, living options and other attractions. Personally, I think Oak Park needs to capitalize on the fact that we're an "unsuburb" or "anti-suburb."
And enough with the Frank Llyod Wright attractions. We're so much cooler than that! We had a good discussion a few months ago about making a visit to Oak Park more than FLW and got some great suggestions.
http://www.livehereoakpark.com/profiles/blogs/making-a-visit-to-oak...
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Permalink Reply by S on -
Hey everyone, the branding study was targeted for tourist coming into Oak Park. Not for Oak Park it’s self. Everything they learn from the branding study will be used in the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (OPACVB) marketing campaigns. The logo will be used for the OPACVB as well. Not for the village. Any branding the village currently has will remain the same. The study was done for marketing the village to tourist. And it covers everything from FLW to Hemmingway to the Oak Park Conservatory to the shops and restaurants Oak Park has to offer.
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PioneerPermalink Reply by Joel Schoenmeyer on -
I think "The Unsuburb" is a fantastic label for Oak Park, but maybe it's because I'm old enough to remember those 7up "uncola" commercials.
I don't know why the new Oak Park symbol looks like a, um, marital aid. But then again, I don't understand why big metal razors should be a symbol of the Harrison Arts District.
Becca said:I think they wanted to come up with a campaign that would broaden the appeal of the village. It kind of makes me think about the campaign that Berwyn has been running around Chicago. They talk about the restaurants, living options and other attractions. Personally, I think Oak Park needs to capitalize on the fact that we're an "unsuburb" or "anti-suburb."
And enough with the Frank Llyod Wright attractions. We're so much cooler than that! We had a good discussion a few months ago about making a visit to Oak Park more than FLW and got some great suggestions.
http://www.livehereoakpark.com/profiles/blogs/making-a-visit-to-oak...
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Permalink Reply by w.byron reaves on -
i'm just sayin...
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new-OP-logo.jpg, 21 KB
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PioneerPermalink Reply by Russ M on -
wow... I like the unsuburb... or maybe subURBAN Oak Park. Need to play up on the fact it is small town charm with big city culture and attractions.
Sorry, I hope they didn't pay someone to develop that logo.. I could have done better using powerpoint.
Oak Park needs a "hook" for tourist. FLW/Hemingway are ok, but I think they are kind of played out. We need a really big attraction that brings in all kinds of people, even if they don't know Hemingway from Dan Brown and their idea of architecture is a tract home in Joliet.
I think a huge specialty food market here would be cool. Think of a big OP Farmer's Market, but open 7 days a week.
w.byron reaves said:i'm just sayin...
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Your HostPermalink Reply by Becca on -
Here's a little more background from the Oak Leaves Website.
Some of our tweets from last night were included in a separate item on the site.
The logo reminds me of one of those giant pins for cloth baby diapers. I'm not sure why.
I think the Village should've held a logo and tagline contest instead of paying an agency. I'm sure there would have been tons of great submissions.
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